VICTIMISATION CHARGE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 174, 25 July 1942, Page 4

VICTIMISATION CHARGE

DISMISSED EMPLOYEE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Friday. An appeal against the decision of the Wellington Manpower Officer to permit a worker in an essential industry to be dismissed was heard by the Manpower Industrial Committee to-day. The appellant, T. L. Joines, engineer, employed previously by the Colonial Motor Company, claimed that he had been victimised, whereas his employers made several charges, including one that he had been making subversive statements and had caused disruption in the works. For the appellant, Mr. A. Black, secretary of the Engineers' Union, said the appellant had carried out the instructions of the committee not to engage in any political propaganda during working hours. Mr. Black claimed that the management had approached him with a suggestion that he should agree to the transfer of Joines, contrary to the direction of the committee. The appellant had been trained bv the Government at a cost of £100, but his skill had not been utilised and he had been employed as a labourer. Mr. Black continued that the manager had addressed a stopwork meeting, during which he had told employees details of Joines'-domestic and private affairs and threatened to close the works if Joines returned. Mr. L. R. James, for the company, submitted that if the appellant and the manager were left together there would be a recurrence of the trouble. The manager, J. Manning, said under cross-examination that Joines had not been permitted to work overtime and that he had been directed to take a much longer lunch interval than the others. At the stopwork meeting witness said that the appellant was not interested in the work, but was there to undermine the war effort.

"There is a Rood deal to be said for the contention that there has been victimisation," said the chairman, in reserving decision. There would be no one-way regulations and both sides would have to abide by the decision of the committee.